Killing Richard Glossip

THE FEEL HERE AT THE OKLAHOMA STATE PENITENTIARY

IS A LOT DIFFERENT TODAY.

HERE WE ARE, STILL THREE HOURS AHEAD

OF THE ANTICIPATED TIME OF EXECUTION

FOR INMATE RICHARD GLOSSIP.

I WAS WITH RICH 00 TO 1:00.

00, WE HAD TO LEAVE AND WE WERE ESCORTED OUT.

I KNEW AT THAT POINT IN TIME THAT OUR ONLY HOPE LEFT

WAS SOMETHING FROM THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT.

WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER WAS A LAST-MINUTE PLEA

TO SPARE THE LIFE OF RICHARD GLOSSIP.

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT HAD DENIED

THAT STAY IN A VOTE OF EIGHT TO ONE.

IT WILL GO ON AS SCHEDULED.

THIS IS MURDER.

THIS IS THEM KILLING A -- AN INNOCENT MAN.

THEY'RE JUST GONNA KILL HIM BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT.

EVEN THOUGH WE WEREN'T SUCCESSFUL IN COURT,

EVERYONE KNOWS.

THE WORLD KNOWS THAT RICHARD GLOSSIP IS INNOCENT.

EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF THAT PRISON, WE WERE JUST WAITING.

I THOUGHT FOR SURE RICHARD WAS DEAD.

AND NOW WE ARE GETTING WORD

THAT THERE HAS BEEN A STAY OF EXECUTION

GRANTED BY GOVERNOR MARY FALLIN.

YEAH!

MY GOSH.

IT'S A STAY FOR SOME LETHAL-INJECTION ISSUE.

SOMETHING ABOUT OBTAINING

ANOTHER DRUG TO DO THE EXECUTION.

WE PRAISE YOU FOR THIS DAY, GOD.

WE PRAISE YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL NEWS.

UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY PRONOUNCED HIM DEAD, I HAD HOPE.

I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON HIM.

- HERE'S TO YOU, RICKY! - LOVE YOU, RICKY!

LOVE YOU, BUD.

IT WAS LIKE LAZARUS COMING BACK FROM THE DEAD.

**

IN OKLAHOMA,

DEATH ROW INMATE RICHARD GLOSSIP IS LIVING ON BORROWED TIME.

ALREADY, HE'S BEEN ON THE BRINK OF EXECUTION

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

NOW, ONCE AGAIN, THE STATE IS PREPARING TO PUT HIM TO DEATH,

ON CHARGES OF HIRING ANOTHER MAN TO COMMIT MURDER.

BUT FAR TOO MANY TROUBLING QUESTIONS SWIRL AROUND HIS CASE.

I'M NOT IN THIS THING, MAN!

I'M REALLY NOT.

I'M JOE BERLINGER.

AS A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER,

I'VE SPENT MY CAREER SHINING A LIGHT ON STORIES OF INJUSTICE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? THEY'RE READY TO KILL THIS GUY.

I THINK IT'S A REAL BAD DEAL.

AS GLOSSIP'S LAWYERS SEARCH FOR NEW EVIDENCE...

EVERYTHING PRETTY MUCH HAPPENED RIGHT HERE.

...TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

DID THE SYSTEM GET IT WRONG WITH RICHARD GLOSSIP?

IT'S AN INNOCENT MAN WHO'S GONNA BE EXECUTED

IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW.

WE ARE THE LAST, BEST CHANCE THAT RICH HAS,

AND WE HAVE TO SUCCEED BECAUSE, IF WE FAIL,

HE DIES.

WHY IS OKLAHOMA SO HELL-BENT ON KILLING RICHARD GLOSSIP?

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO TALK ABOUT,

BUT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO BASICALLY HAVE THREE LAST MEALS.

IT'S INCREDIBLE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ALMOST EXECUTED,

YOU KNOW, THREE TIMES. WOW.

AND THE THIRD TIME IT WAS HAPPENING,

DID YOU THINK THIS WAS IT?

DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD EVER BE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?

18 YEARS IS A LONG TIME.

YOU HAVE 60 SECONDS REMAINING.

EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT ME

THAT THE MAJORITY OF DEATH ROW INMATES

ARE GUILTY BEYOND DISPUTE.

RICHARD GLOSSIP COULD BE THE EXCEPTION.

SO BEFORE THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA TRIES AGAIN

TO EXECUTE HIM,

I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS CONTROVERSIAL CASE.

FROM HIS ARREST AND PROSECUTION,

TO HIS TRIALS AND EXPERIENCES ON DEATH ROW IN OKLAHOMA.

THIS IS A GUN-TOTING, HANG 'EM HIGH STATE.

PEOPLE BELIEVE EYE FOR AN EYE, TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.

I MEAN, PEOPLE WANT REVENGE AND HERE IN OKLAHOMA,

THEY GET IT THROUGH THE DEATH PENALTY.

THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE

THAT RICHARD GLOSSIP IS INNOCENT.

I HESITATE ONLY BECAUSE WE CAN'T KNOW, OBVIOUSLY,

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT BECAUSE WE WEREN'T THERE.

BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CASE,

THAT I COULD NEVER SAY FOR A FACT

THAT HE IS GUILTY.

GLOSSIP WAS CONVICTED ON A CHARGE OF MURDER FOR HIRE,

ORDERING AND PAYING FOR THE MURDER OF HIS BOSS,

A MAN NAMED BARRY VAN TREESE,

AT THIS RUN-DOWN MOTEL

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF OKLAHOMA CITY.

THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT PLACES

GLOSSIP AT THE SCENE OF THE MURDER.

INSTEAD, GLOSSIP WAS CONVICTED LARGELY

ON THE BASIS OF A NOW CONTROVERSIAL CONFESSION

FROM THE ACTUAL KILLER,

A 19-YEAR-OLD NAMED JUSTIN SNEED.

WHENEVER I TALK ABOUT OKLAHOMA,

I TALK ABOUT IT AS THE RED DIRT STATE.

AND MY IMMERSION INTO OKLAHOMA

IS THROUGH RICHARD GLOSSIP.

SISTER HELEN PREJEAN IS BEST KNOWN

FOR THE BOOK AND MOVIE,

"DEAD MAN WALKING," WHICH CHRONICLED HER WORK

WITH A GUILTY INMATE ON LOUISIANA'S DEATH ROW.

RICHARD GLOSSIP'S CASE IS FAR DIFFERENT.

SHE BELIEVES HE'S ACTUALLY INNOCENT.

ONCE YOU BECOME AWAKE AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING'S WRONG,

THEN YOU'VE GOT TO WORK TO HELP PEOPLE SEE,

"WAIT A MINUTE. WE'RE BETTER THAN THIS.

WE DON'T HAVE TO KILL OUR OWN CITIZENS.

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?"

MY WHOLE THING, ONCE I STEP IN THAT DOOR,

IS TO BE THERE FOR RICHARD

AND TO BE ATTENTIVE TO HIM.

TRY TO RECEIVE AND READ WHERE HE IS, HOW HE IS.

IT HAS TO BE THE MOST UNBELIEVABLY TERRIBLE THING

IN THE WORLD, TO KNOW YOU'RE INNOCENT.

IT'S RICH?

RICH? - Hello?

HEY, RICH. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

WHEN I GOT INVOLVED IN THIS CASE,

SISTER HELEN HAD SAID, "DON, I NEED YOU TO DO THIS

AND I NEED YOU TO GIVE THIS MANY HOURS OF YOUR TIME."

YOU KNOW THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULD SAY NO,

BUT ANYBODY WHO'S MET HELEN PREJEAN KNOWS

THAT YOU JUST CAN'T SAY NO.

BUT I'M A LAWYER.

I HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FACTS AND THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE,

AND, YOU KNOW, IS RICH REALLY INNOCENT?

DON KNIGHT IS LEADING

RICHARD GLOSSIP'S POST-CONVICTION LEGAL TEAM

IN A RACE AGAINST TIME.

KNIGHT, A FORMER JUDGE,

HAS SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HIS CAREER

AS A DEFENSE ATTORNEY.

FOR THE LAST 17 YEARS,

HE'S FOCUSED HIS PRACTICE ON DEATH PENALTY CASES.

I MEAN, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR A WHILE

ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T BE THINKING

THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET OUT OF PRISON NEXT MONTH

OR SOMETHING, RIGHT?

I MEAN, WE WANT YOU OUT, OF COURSE.

WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN DO TO GET YOU OUT,

BUT IT'S A SITUATION THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE TIME.

WHAT IS HIS LEGAL STATUS NOW?

RICH HAS BEEN THROUGH ALL OF HIS APPEALS,

ALL OF THE APPEALS OF THE APPEALS.

IN OCTOBER OF 2014 WAS HIS CLEMENCY HEARING.

MY VOTE IS NO.

THEY DENIED CLEMENCY.

AND AT THAT POINT, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT.

THERE'S ONLY THE EXECUTION.

THE ONLY THING THAT WILL GET RICH BACK INTO COURT NOW

IS FOR OUR DEFENSE TEAM

TO FIND AND ESTABLISH INNOCENCE,

WHICH IS AN INCREDIBLY,

INCREDIBLY HIGH BAR TO GET OVER.

PROVING ACTUAL INNOCENCE

MEANS FINDING SMOKING GUN EVIDENCE

AND THEN CONVINCING THE COURTS IN OKLAHOMA,

FIRST TO HEAR THAT EVIDENCE

AND THEN GRANT GLOSSIP A NEW TRIAL.

BUT THIS IS A 20-YEAR-OLD CASE

WITH A LOT OF MISSING EVIDENCE,

NO DNA AND DOZENS OF DEAD OR MISSING WITNESSES.

IF THERE'S A SMOKING GUN, IT'S, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

AND WE CAN TELL THAT STORY.

SO, THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT I PUT TOGETHER,

STARTING FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

THIS IS ALL FROM THE POLICE REPORTS.

ON JANUARY 6th, WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT

THAT BARRY WAS KILLED?

BARRY VAN TREESE WAS 54 YEARS OLD,

A FATHER OF SEVEN FROM LAWTON, OKLAHOMA.

HE SPENT 20 YEARS IN BANKING BEFORE INVESTING

IN THREE RUN-DOWN MOTEL PROPERTIES IN THE STATE.

HE NAMED HIS SMALL CHAIN OF MOTELS THE BEST BUDGET INN.

WE KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF DRUG ACTIVITY

AND A LOT OF PROSTITUTION GOING ON THERE.

IT SHARES A PARKING LOT WITH A STRIP JOINT

AND IT STILL DOES TODAY.

THE OKLAHOMA CITY BEST BUDGET INN

IS BARRY'S FIRST STOP

ON THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 6, 1997.

SO IT TOOK HIM A COUPLE HOURS

TO DO THE THINGS HE NEEDED TO DO.

HE COUNTED THE DEPOSITS AGAINST THE BOOKS

AND, APPARENTLY, HE HAS ABOUT $3,000

THAT HE GOT FROM RICH.

35-YEAR-OLD RICHARD GLOSSIP HAD BEEN

MANAGING THE BEST BUDGET INN FOR TWO YEARS,

OFTEN COLLECTING BONUSES

WHEN HE MET OR EXCEEDED MONTHLY REVENUE GOALS.